"We're remarkable together," he amended.
She turned in his arms, looking up at him. This man who'd saved her in more ways than one. Who'd given her a home, a family, a purpose. Who loved her with an intensity that still sometimes took her breath away.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too." He kissed her softly. "Always. Forever."
They stood like that for a long time, wrapped around each other, finding comfort in their connection.
And when they finally went to bed, when Sidharth held her through the night like he always did, Advika felt at peace.
Her father was gone. The relationship they'd never had was finally, definitively over. But she'd survived it. Thrived despite it.
And she had a future ahead of her that was bright and full of possibility.
With the man she loved. The family she'd built. The life she'd created.
Yash Pradhan had given her nothing when she needed everything.
But in the end, she'd become everything anyway.
And that was closure enough
Chapter Nineteen
One Year Anniversary
Advika woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and the sound of waves crashing against shore. For a moment, she was disoriented—this wasn't their bedroom at the estate. Then she remembered.
The anniversary trip. The secluded coastal estate Sidharth had rented for the weekend. Just the two of them, away from everything.
She rolled over to find him already awake, propped on one elbow, watching her with that soft expression he reserved only for her.
"Morning," she mumbled, her voice still rough with sleep.
"Good morning, Mrs. Singhania." He leaned down to kiss her, slow and sweet. "Happy anniversary."
"Has it really been a year?"
"Three hundred and sixty-five days since I married the most incredible woman in the world." His hand cupped her cheek. "Best decision I ever made."
"You didn't make it. You were forced into it."
"And then I chose it. Chose you. Every day since." He kissed her again, deeper this time. "Want to know what I was thinking about just now?"
"What?"
"Our wedding. How miserable we both were. How cold everything was." His thumb brushed across her lips. "And how different everything is now."
It was true. A year ago, she'd walked down the aisle feeling like she was going to a funeral. Had stood beside a stranger who looked at her like a problem to solve. Had gone to bed alone on her wedding night, wondering if she'd made the worst mistake of her life.
Now, she woke up beside a man who loved her desperately. Who looked at her like she hung the moon. Who made her feel cherished and desired and essential.
"We've come a long way," she agreed softly.
"We have. And I wanted to celebrate that. Just us, no family, no business, no distractions." He stood, gloriously naked, and held out his hand. "Come on. I want to show you something."
She let him pull her up, wrapping a silk robe around herself. He led her through the beautiful estate—all white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean—to a private terrace.
